Vanden High School girls basketball team cruises past visiting Vacaville

Allison Johnson was a bit concerned when her Vanden High School girls basketball team missed six layups and didn't hustle after three loose balls early in the first quarter on Wednesday night.

The worries quickly subsided as the Vikings overpowered visiting Vacaville 85-35. Vanden finished the first quarter with an 18-11 edge, and then took the game over with a 35-7 advantage in the second quarter for a 53-18 lead at halftime.

"I was pleased how we finished," Johnson said. "I thought we kept up a good intensity . We stayed under control until the final buzzer."

Vanden ran the floor well and hit shots inside off of crisp passes while knocking down five 3-pointers. The Vikings' pressure defense got the Bulldogs out of sync and forced numerous turnovers.

Vacaville's Julia DePonte hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter, but the Bullldogs didn't score another field goal until Morgan Annala completed a three-point play with 2:31 left in the third quarter.

"We had a tough practice and came out strong for the first two minutes," Vacaville head coach Annaliese Vasquez said. "With our style of play we need all 15 girls. Every little mistake we made they capitalized on."

Vanden went on a 23-6 run in the third quarter and led 76-24. Vacaville held an 11-9 edge in the final period with a running clock.